LEGEND (Rewrite)
by Sqydd
Summary: Four stories of four people that converge in the scariest of ways. Ten years ago, Pallet Town was nearly decimated, and Mew took one of the few survivors. That boy, Aries, meets Denise from Pewter on his journey to find Team Rocket's Silver, the man who mercilessly killed the Legendary Pokemon. Silver, meanwhile, operates on his own agenda...
1. 11 Prelude to Devastation

**0.1 Prelude to Devastation**

_The boys are at it again,_ it thought. Mew dared to move closer, absently shifting to a Spearow and perching on the eaves of a nearby home. He was racing down the dirt pathway leading straight through Pallet Town, feet whipping down the road. Behind him, the same three boys followed but at a much slower pace, shouting and screaming words it barely understood as human profanities.

Five years ago on Earth time, it saw the little five-year-old sitting alone at the shore, stacks of books half-buried in the gritty sand next to him. Seeing as he was at the age most began Pokémon School, it was somewhat fascinating, but what was more fascinating: unlike every other human it had ever encountered, this boy repelled its Psychic advances. It was unable to probe his mind for even the most fundamental information, and _that_ was a source of interest for the ancient Pokémon. Never in its life had it found a human able to resist its Psychic powers, and it piqued its interest until it almost choked on it. Since that day, it had taken up watching the boy, trying to discover what exactly made him so special.

Adults looked on from their daily duties and shouted at the boys, but their pleas went unnoticed. Pokémon attempted to step in only to be fought back by the boys' Raichu and Geodude. That left the poor little boy on his own as he attempted to outrun the older ones while carrying two large books and faced with a muddy terrain against his sandals and their shoes. It fidgeted on the house, edging towards him as he grew closer and closer. _No,_ it thought, flitting away from the edge. _Interfering with the humans is forbidden. I cannot—_

"Tracey! Cory! Corner him!" the tallest boy yelled at the others. They pushed the little one to the shore, circling him until he was a footstep away from plunging into the ocean's cool blue waters. It set again in a tree looming over the water's surface, watching the tallest boy as he cracked his knuckles while approaching the little boy. _Perhaps Suicune could aid him—_ It interrupted its own thought, already aware Suicune would simply repeat the rules of the Legendaries to it. He was on his own.

Cory, an eight-year-old with short brown hair, smirked as he grabbed the boy's right arm. Tracey, a slightly older and slightly taller redhead, took hold of the boy's left arm, the two of them holding him in place as their unofficial leader, Joseph, readied himself to attack the little one. Penetrating his superficial thoughts yielded results no better than his anger at having to visit his wayward uncle in Pallet Town and some cartoon coming on at 8 P.M., and as soon as it tried to dig deeper Joseph's face twisted in mild discomfort. Further prodding would only alert him to its presence, which was completely against Arceus' wishes for them to remain unobtrusive.

The first punch was rather quick. The second one was slower and the hard _thunk_ of bone on bone was obvious in the air as he moaned softly, blood trickling out from his nose. The others and their Pokémon laughed as the boy was ruthlessly thrashed, his books burned via Thunderbolt and tossed into the water.

Mew finally couldn't take it anymore. Disregarding Arceus' rules, it leapt into the air, taking the form of a more fear-provoking Arcanine as it hit the ground, growling and snarling at the boy's opponents. They shouted, and the main one Joseph yelled at the Raichu to use Volt Tackle. Mew met his eyes as he began the attack.

_You should leave,_ it threatened telepathically. He scoffed and rolled his eyes. Mew took a step forward, causing him to step back. _If you do not, you will have an angry Legendary Pokémon to deal with. _It released its transformation for a moment, a mere inhale of breath, but that was enough time for the Raichu to squeak and tumble over the Geodude in his rush to scamper away. Mew barked at the three boys. They gave unmanly screams as they followed Raichu. In the end, Geodude was the only one remaining. _I suggest you go with your Trainers,_ Mew said calmly, sitting down.

"No," he answered gruffly. Mew inclined its head.

_Not the smartest boulder of the bunch, are you?_

"No."

Mew turned to face the boy. He had fallen to his knees, hands over his bleeding lip and swelling eye. It walked past him as he attempted to scrub the blood with his shirt, shifting from Arcanine to Golduck as it slid into the water. The books were only lost in the shallows, so it didn't have to travel far. It took hold of them and broke the surface, returning to its normal form to hover just above it. It hummed slightly as it used Heal Bell, the sweet cadence of tones drying the pages and recovering the charred parts. Mew was careful to leave the books just behind him, disappearing as he turned around. It settled itself behind a house as he stood, picking up the books with wary curiosity. He moved over to the shadow of another home before settling down again, glancing around and rubbing his uninjured eye. Content, Mew took the form of a wild Nidoran and shifted its attention to the others. It quickly discovered them inside of Pallet Town's Pokémon Laboratory.

The Professor, an elderly man called Oak or the Pokémon Professor, was feeding a pair of young Charmander when Tracey, Cory, and Joseph burst in in a flurry. Oak turned, a greeting on his lips, but Joseph beat him to it, frantically screaming, "Arcanine! An Arcanine outside!"

Oak chuckled as the Charmander began a game of tag. "Is this like the time you said a Spearow was reading on your chimney, or an Aerodactyl was hiding under your bed?"

(Perhaps Mew wasn't as rule-abiding as it would've liked to imagine.)

"It was!" he protested. "I was right then and I'm right now! Look!"

Deciding to humor the lad, Oak walked past him and pulled back the curtains on the window. Scanning the southern vicinity of Pallet yielded no results further than a couple of wayward Caterpie. Tracey and Cory immediately worked themselves into a frenzy, but Oak shook his head, silencing them. "Joseph, you really should stop making up these stories."

"I'm _not_ making it up!" he shouted. Raichu squeaked his assent, followed by Geodude's much less convincing support. "I'm not—whatever!" He spun on his heel, tailed by his Raichu. Tracey was the first to chase after him, followed by Cory after he returned his Geodude. Mew dodged their wild feet as they stomped through the door, slamming it shut. Oak looked after them woefully, like a parent who had to watch their child go rotten in front of their eyes, unable to help. Mew caught the door just before it closed, slipping through the crack of an opening. It paused just outside of the Pokémon Laboratory—the boy had disappeared from his spot. It sniffed around for him but couldn't find him at all. He must have been in a home, surrounded by other scents overpowering his. Well, it couldn't linger on a human, not when it so markedly had a tongue-lashing waiting in the other world.

The sun had begun to set, marking the time the humans chose to return to their homes for the evening. As soon as the last man disappeared inside his dwelling, all thoughts calm and sedentary, Mew resumed its original form and sent a telepathic alert to Palkia. A small rip in the air appeared almost immediately, allowing it to slip through into the separate space known as Arceus' dimension.

The Alpha Pokémon had its back to the entrance Mew came in through, speaking in hushed mental tones to Rayquaza and Kyogre. It didn't understand very much of what it was saying, but Mew caught the gist the two were being reprimanded for something. Rayquaza was scowling, an expression adopted from human adolescents, and Kyogre appeared impenitent, the rain not lamenting over whoever's home it drowned. Mew inaudibly floated up to one of the many bright stars littering the dark sky, hiding itself behind its brilliance. Arceus, for the most part, seemed oblivious. That is, until its thoughts finally reached Mew:

_Come here. Do not attempt to conceal yourself. This is _my_ dimension, and I would be a fool to not notice a soul wandering it._

Mew hung its head as it slowly floated down to the much larger Pokémon's side. Rayquaza chortled like a crackle of thunder. _I never thought these eyes would behold the Ancient Pokémon in my very own position!_ Its head was thrown back and its tail writhed from its mirth. _You are no better than either of us, recalcitrant little brat!_

_I am not a brat,_ Mew protested. _It would be wise for you to watch your language in the face of your elder, Rayquaza._ It punctuated the sentence with a sharp crack of ice to Rayquaza's tail. It gasped, snapping it back with obvious pain flashing across its draconic face. That expression quickly dissolved into his usual ferocious countenance as it lunged at Mew, held back at the last moment by Arceus' hoof.

_Release me at once!_ it roared, eyes full of fire and jaw snapping hungrily. _This daft, the _Ancient Pokémon_, higher on the hierarchy than me?_ It barked out a grim laugh. _I'll chew you up and spit out the bloody bits, Mew!_

_Rayquaza, calm yourself!_ Arceus ordered. Its directive could've went unspoken (or un-thought, would be a better phrase) for all the good it did. Rayquaza's temperament was no less volatile than when Mew first spoke (_thought_; _speaking is for humans,_ it tried to remember) against it. Kyogre turned to Mew resignedly.

_Perhaps you should take your leave,_ it suggested. A flare of protest rose in their minds. Kyogre turned to Arceus, the source of it, and continued, _You may bend Mew's ear later, Arceus. For now, the main concern is calming Rayquaza before it forgets its temperament maintains the protective layer around Earth. Such a puerile tantrum will put the planet in danger._

_Excellent point, _Arceus said, and if Mew didn't know any better, it would say the ancient creator sounded petulant. It released its Psychic hold on its body and let itself drift among the universe, letting the immensity and blinding iridescence of the stars envelope it like a blanket. Its attention wandered to a small glacial blue star alone in the far reach of the galaxy. Somehow, it reminded Mew of the boy.

* * *

The initial shock hit Mew before any thoughts of what transpired. It was jolted from a momentary rest by an immense feeling of distress like electricity coursing through its small body. It spun until it was floating upright, searching Arceus' universe for whatever caused such a disturbance. It soon realized the anomaly was not of their world, but of the humans'—of the boy's. That thought had Mew practically screeching at Palkia to open a dimensional rift, the Space Pokémon grumbling at its volume in return as it took its sweet time opening a portal. Mew didn't even wait until it was fully formed—it shoved itself through when it was still the size of a tennis ball.

Pallet Town, at first glance, was its usual mundane self, but a quick telepathic scan revealed something atypical travelling through the skies, Rayquaza's domain. It frantically searched all universes, the sub-domains of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos, however Rayquaza was nowhere to be seen. _Ah, damn it,_ Mew thought, grimacing slightly at its uncharacteristically human choice of words. The obtrusion that normally would have been instantly repelled by the dragon easily passed through the ozone, dropping like the meteor it was until it hit the ground, creating a tsunami of dirt and grass as it buried itself in Route 1.

No sooner than when Mew decided to investigate the dust abruptly cleared, revealing a smooth violet stone inlaid into the earth. It pulsed with a steady heartbeat, it noticed, something very alive and so very wrong an involuntary shiver ran through its body. The heartbeat was soon accompanied by a visible purple corona surrounding the small meteorite. Mew propelled its Psychic energy forward, trying to get a sense of it, but something about it was as repulsive as a Dark-type, reversing the flow of energy back to Mew and causing it a major migraine. It collapsed to the ground with a loud whine, clenching its small head until the splitting pain passed. When it returned to the air, the meteorite was gone.

_What? _Mew thought, flitting around in search of it. The crater was still there, tendrils of dark grey smoke wafting up from the charred earth, but the stone had completely vanished. It was then Mew again felt the spine-tingling sense of wrongness, a chilling cold which permeated its body. It revolved slowly, apprehensive for the first time in its life, and beheld something which couldn't possibly have been of Earth, even though it somewhat resembled a Pokémon.

The thing had its back to Mew, coupled with the darkness faintly deterred by dim starlight and clouded moon, so it couldn't get an accurate view, but the things it could see were vivid enough. It had a mixture of orange and teal skin, a pair of tentacles where each arm should have been, and legs tapering to a point rather than having feet. As Mew watched, a sickly _glug-glug-glug_ sound emitted from its body, like water boiling under extreme heat but magnified and with reverb. Its head, previously oblong, shifted like clay being molded, changing to a three-pointed circle. Its tentacles shifted, uncoiling and falling limp around its thinning body, while its knees jutted out, becoming pointed, and its upper thighs smoothed somewhat. Mew covered its mouth to suppress a gasp; the only beings capable of transforming were it and Ditto, Zorua and Zoroark as well if you were to count illusions, even though the alien seemed quite real. It was obviously not Mew, and since Mew couldn't read its thoughts it couldn't have been a Ditto, so what was it?

A low buzz wrung Mew from its thoughts. It was unable to hide its gasp this time as it caught the foreign thing charging a ball of bright white energy in front of its assumed face, a move Mew instantly recognized. It attempted to race forward but the move was executed with frightening speed. It grew close as the energy disappeared, then felt its heart stutter to a stop as the thing's body jerked forward with the huge pulse of blinding energy pouring forth from it, a high-pitched screeching noise succeeding it. The Hyper Beam was of a magnitude Mew had never seen from a non-Legendary. It sliced through the stone and brick homes as if they were water, not just blowing apart or destroying but completely _obliterating_ them as if they never existed in the first place, sweeping the attack side to side like a broom. A pain resounded in Mew's chest as it felt hundreds of thoughts abruptly disappear, leaving not even a trace.

When it seemingly was mollified, cutting the attack off, three-fourths of Pallet Town had completely disappeared. Completely. It was as if somebody had cut a rectangular slice out of the area—nothing but air existed for at least a mile around, the dirt and rock deposits not even appearing until a hundred and twenty-two feet below the original height of the land.

The alien looked between the destroyed and unharmed pieces of land as if admiring the job it did. Mew, frustrated, sent the strongest blast of Thunder in its direction that it could. To Mew's utter astonishment, the alien disappeared, leaving the attack to instead burn away a patch of dirt. _Wha—_ it thought in incredulity, but was unable to finish as it heard something land in the dirt behind it. Mew's reaction was too slow. The alien blasted it with Zap Cannon, the electricity propelling it into the air until it hit the edge of the drop-off. It regained consciousness quickly enough for it to launch itself back in the air before it fell into the canyon that thing created.

_Who are you?_ Mew pressed, though it was unsure if the thing could even process its words. _Where are you from? Why are you attacking this town?_

The alien either didn't want to respond or didn't understand the question, though it may have been more of the latter. It simply stood there, perhaps even inclined its head if Mew's senses weren't dulled. Mew sighed, resigning itself to the dreaded "hard way" as it charged a Shadow Ball. The thing could apparently sense moves as well as it could utilize them—the way the purple stone embedded in its torso glowed could even be called a Psychic reaction, though Mew was beyond categorizing it with Earth Pokémon types for the time being—because it disappeared again just as Mew completed the attack. It spun, ready to deal it, but the creature wasn't behind. It prepared to lurch high into the air for a better view before it felt a painful jab in its back, followed by a gut-wrenching sting of something acidic that sent it sprawling on the floor, energy dissipating ineffectually into the air.

Mew groaned, an icy feeling of numbness coursing through its veins. The thing's legs strolled into view. From Mew's angle, it seemed it was staring down at Mew. Mew tried to raise its head but found its body completely useless. It took a few moments for Mew to realize the thing was trying to communicate with it.

*EAR YUO HTE CASRNEOT OF LLA HRTEA MOKEONP?* The way it spoke alone was very perplexing—it was neither mental nor vocal, yet somehow Mew understood every word as if they were engraved upon its brain, _understood_ perhaps being a poor choice of wording for its puzzling speech.

_'__Ear yuo hte casrneot of lla hrtea mokeonp,' _Mew thought, utterly baffled. The alien shifted its feet in an almost apprehensive manner.

*MA DNUTRDOESO? MA CRUENTANI FI THAER KPOEOMN OPCMRHEEDN HTSI...* Mew felt something poke its ear, then the alien's tentacle flipped it onto its back. It was staring at Mew inquisitively. *LEOSTNENHSE. I EAVH A RUPEOPS.* It stepped back a few feet, tentacles raised in preparation to launch another attack.

_Name, _Mew said, though it came out as more of a weak whine. _A name, please…_

The alien visibly halted. *DEOXYS* it stated monotonously after five seconds' worth of deliberation. Suddenly Deoxys' head snapped to the sky, just in time to watch a pillar of orange and gold fire pierce it with laser accuracy. Deoxys skidded across the dirt, airborne dust momentarily obscuring it from view. When that cleared, the alien had obviously changed forms again. This one appeared defensive, if Mew had to describe it: Deoxys' body was rounder and its tentacles flatter and more malleable, obvious in the way they extended to shield its body from the Dragon-type's flames.

_Rayquaza, _Mew mewed. The Sky-High Pokémon dropped to the ground, coiling itself like an Arbok and growling at its newest opponent. It grabbed Mew in its claws, not at all carefully or considerately but gently enough for it not to be crushed or choked.

_You should thank Arceus that I intervened when I did,_ it said with a draconic smile. _At the same time, curse him for putting me on punishment._ Mew involuntarily shuddered: Arceus' punishments were quite horrid. _Otherwise I could've stopped this freak before it even entered my mesosphere._

*A NWE NEO* Deoxys said, what seemed to be amazement marring its face. *HET KSY HIGH MKOEPON. TEH AGUDRNAI FO ATHER'S EAHNEV*

_What is this illiterate imbecile saying? _Rayquaza snorted. Deoxys perhaps understood, because it chose that moment to change back to its previous form, firing an impressive Ice Beam. Rayquaza dodged it easily, its speed being unparalleled, and the ice completely froze ten large oak trees. Rayquaza threw its head back and laughed, circling Deoxys like a Mandibuzz. _Hah! The day _I_, the great Rayquaza, am overwhelmed is the day I relinquish my position as the Sky-High Pokémon! You are no match, alien or not! Pokémon or not! _Its tail glowed with blue and gold energy as it spun around, whipping it in Deoxys' direction. Deoxys blocked the attack again, though it did get knocked back a few steps. It took the opportunity to shift again, this form appearing more aerodynamic and lither. Its head protrusions streamlined like jet wings and it lost its topmost tentacles, its legs thinning instead. It looked Rayquaza directly in its eyes.

*YOU ARE NO MATCH* Something about its tone hinted it was just mimicking Rayquaza's words, but the dragon was angered nonetheless—not that angering it was a herculean feat.

_I am more than enough to deal with you!_ Rayquaza roared, seemingly forgetting it was toting Mew as it raced towards Deoxys. The alien disappeared in the blink of an eye, forcing Rayquaza to stop just as it reappeared millimeters from its face. It spun around and jabbed Rayquaza right between the eyes with several quick strikes from its quicker legs, forcing the Legendary back in the air until it was far above the ruined Pallet Town. It roared in anger as Deoxys slowed enough to appear on one of the houses, expression almost pitiful. Mew grabbed Rayquaza's arm warningly but it shook Mew off, a deep rumble resonating in its throat as it fired an indeterminately powerful Dragon Pulse. Deoxys skittered away to the ocean's edge triumphantly as if it was expecting just that. As if it knew at first glance Rayquaza was one to lose its temper and waste all its energy in a single attack if provoked.

Deoxys' new form, obviously built for speed, effortlessly evaded Rayquaza's attack, and, unable to cancel it, the draconic energy easily wrecked the part of Pallet that Deoxys didn't, though instead of completely obliterating everything it simply destroyed, leaving more graphic evidence in its place. _The boy,_ Mew thought, an agitated gasp escaping its lips.

_Boy? What boy? _Mew cursed itself for making its thoughts audible. Rayquaza was as nosy as it was impertinent. _Ha! Don't tell me that's why you were in trouble with the big guy! You interacted with one of those worthless little rats?_

Mew ignored it for the time being, squirming free from its grip and salvaging the energy to awkwardly float down. Rayquaza's destruction was patently messier than Deoxys', leaving debris and bodies scattered everywhere. It was startling the humans didn't go out to investigate. Perhaps it was one of Deoxys' abilities which kept them inside where they were so obviously endangered. It checked the shore, the Pokémon Laboratory, and every ruined house, but it was unable to find a single trace of the boy. _Maybe he was a victim of Hyper Beam,_ it thought dejectedly, landing in a pile of torn mattress. Its feathery warmth somewhat reminded it of Ho-Oh, whom it hadn't seen in a very long time. It looked up gloomily, watching Rayquaza lurch at Deoxys, sending it back a few steps, before snapping back into the sky to avoid its attacks. Though it recognized the strategy, it couldn't be happy about it. It simply felt mournful for the boy whose name it never knew.

Deoxys flinched as its foot scraped the lip of the ocean. It had reached the end of Pallet Town (or its remains, at least) and there was nowhere left to go but under. Rayquaza grew within breathing space and stuck its tongue out, whipping around to snap its tail in Deoxys' face. Deoxys stumbled back in the water, but the splash was never heard. Palkia took that moment to intervene with a space portal, sealing the alien in a different dimension. They were safe, to be technical about it, but even Dialga's powers couldn't restore lives lost. The precocious little boy would forever be lost to the world.

_Mew, quit daydreaming. _Rayquaza prodded it with its tail. _I know Arceus wants us all back to talk, so hasten yourself! _It took off then, slithering through the sky and disappearing into the night. Mew started to rise, feeling the odd sensation of tears pricking at its eyes, and prepared to signal Palkia before a weak cry broke through the painful silence. It spun around, stretching its Psychic abilities as far as they could go, but it sensed no life. Its heart leapt: that meant only one person.

It traced the cry back to a brown-brick home which had completely collapsed. It paused, flitting from spot to spot and picking away at the bricks telekinetically, before the cry came again, this time from underneath the chimney. It was a simple yet arduous task to move the entire collapsed structure, but Mew, motivated, made quick work of it, revealing its little friend curled up amidst a few jutting wires which were presumably from the mantle. They held up the bricks, it thought, daring to move closer. This boy is lucky, indeed.

Mew initially tried to move it by use of Psychic, however, the boy's body absorbed its mental effort like a sponge, rendering it useless. Sighing, Mew found the energy to transform yet again, this time choosing a Charizard. It pushed back the debris and very carefully took the boy in its arms, noting with displeasure the extreme cold of his body. Perhaps the cry was his final breath, Mew thought melancholically. Nevertheless, it wasn't going to allow his body to decompose there. If the boy had truly died, it would give him a proper burial in due time. At that moment, however, its duties laid with the Legendary Pokémon of the world.

Palkia's gruff voice resonated in its mind, asking if it was ready to travel. Mew hoped it didn't sound as anxious as it believed when it agreed. The spatial rift appeared high in the sky, almost like a black eye against the moon. Mew flapped its wings, gliding on an uprising current to reach it. It grew close enough to taste the stardust but had to pause, turning to stare back at the desolate town. _The humans would notice soon enough and put it on their "news network,"_ it thought. It couldn't help but mourn for all the lives lost. It also couldn't help the deep feeling of resentment congealing in its chest. _This is Deoxys' fault. And I will personally ensure it pays._

Arceus' impatient bark sounded from inside the portal. Giving Pallet Town one more despondent glance, Mew disappeared into the portal.


	2. 12 Solitary Vagrant

**0.2 Solitary Vagrant**

Arceus' dimension was a hodgepodge of other dimensions, all linked by invisible-to-the-eye portals in the stars. One could travel from the Kalos region to Kanto in the blink of an eye; it was how dimensional travel worked. It made it much easier for Mew to slip through among the incoming Legendaries and into its portal, returning to its dimension.

Mew's dimension was like Arceus' in that it was also greater space, however its "sky" was a light pink gradient like its fur, and it had much brighter stars. Then there were its "toys": items the humans had thrown out and it collected. It tried to lay the boy in a crib with a broken gate but found him too big, so briefly searching its collection, it rediscovered its favorite item: a large bed with a very soft mattress and mismatched down pillows. It carefully laid the boy down on it, guiding him away from the protruding springs.

_Mew, what are you doing? _Arceus' heated voice rang in its head. Mew sighed and, casting one more forlorn glance at the boy, passed through the portal again into Arceus' dimension. It was packed in a figurative sense, being filled with every Legendary Pokémon in the world, but not literally, so it was still able to float and maneuver around the others until it was at Arceus' right hand side.

_How are you, Arceus? _Mew asked genially. If its expression could change, Mew would've said it seemed irate.

_Listen,_ it said tersely, turning to acknowledge every Legendary present. _I know how arbitrarily this gathering has been called—_

_You can say that again! _Latios snorted, Keldeo clicking its hoofs together in agreement.

_—__however, it was extremely necessary, _Arceus finished, staring at them until the commotion died away. _There has been an infringement in Earth's atmosphere due to Rayquaza's impertinence—_ Rayquaza snorted, openly glaring and growling at Mew, _—and we need to decide on a course of action. Palkia, if you please._

Palkia grunted as the magenta lines crisscrossing its body glowed with pink energy. A rip suddenly appeared in Arceus' space, as if someone had brought a knife to the air and sliced straight down. Deoxys appeared in the center of the room as opposed to just outside of the portal, though it was still in its Speed Form, so that was most likely the explanation. Its beady eyes scanned the room quickly before landing on Rayquaza. *GANIA, UYO! SYK DURAGINA AUQYRZAA* Everyone grimaced a bit at having to experience its alien form of communication, even Rayquaza, who was used to it, which caused its reaction to be a fraction of a second too late as Deoxys charged it.

_Hey! _A blue aura appeared around Deoxys, immobilizing it. It made an odd sort of screeching sound, eyes searching for the culprit. Latios rolled his eyes. _The next time you want to attempt to attack someone, do so without a Pokémon able to sense emotions in the room, okay?_ Latias scowled, gliding over until she was within breathing distance of Deoxys, if it did breathe.

_You're _so_ not amusing._ She laid a gentle hand over the alien's head. It immediately bucked forward, both surprising and irking Latios as his face twisted in concentration. Deoxys was stilled yet again, though obviously by a small margin. Latias closed her eyes and hummed gently, an action quite familiar to the other Hoenn Legendaries but not as much to the rest.

_What is that supposed to be? _Zekrom asked.

_She is reading his being using her Psychic abilities, _Suicune answered gently.

_Sounds like a sham to me,_ Heatran said, stomping his feet.

_So does cleaning yourself, but nobody here is judging,_ Keldeo said, laughing. Cobalion looked at it critically and Keldeo whistled and kicked at the ground innocently in response. Latias' eyes snapped open before Cobalion could come up with an apt reply.

_Deoxys is the DNA Pokémon,_ she said, meeting everyone's eyes. _It originated from a virus floating in space suffering from a mutation—this stone in its chest is its nucleus._

Latios continued, _It means to do harm, and a lot of it. A very vengeful Pokémon, it is. It's very obviously unsafe to let this eyesore roam the regions. I say we burn it at the stake presently._

_Thank you for your outdated views on dealing with anomalies, Latios, _Virizion commented sardonically. Latios shot it a withering look.

_I suppose you have better _pacifistic_ ideas, then?_

_Everybody has better ideas than your prepubescent self, _Zapdos said. _Your best idea was to remain in Hoenn, sparing us Kanto Pokémon the stress of seeing you._

_Zapdos, please,_ Articuno chided.

_All of you, please!_ Entei barked.

_SILENCE!_ Arceus roared. All the Legendaries closed their mouths. The only sound remaining was a low gurgle of breath. _Breath_. Everybody looked at each other, as it seemed the sound had not originated from Arceus' dimension. Rather, it was coming from one of the stars. _Did someone carry another being in our sacred place?_ Arceus demanded, stomping a hoof.

_No,_ the Legendaries chorused. Arceus' head snapped in Mew's direction when it was a heartbeat too slow in responding.

_Latios, go with Kyogre and Groudon,_ Arceus said without turning. _I want you two creators to make an island far off Hoenn's coast and seal Deoxys there. As for you, Mew—_ Mew whined, shrinking back into a little pink ball. _We are going to have a very serious _discussion. _Meeting_ _dismissed!_ It punctuated the sentence with a loud slam of his hoof.

The Legendaries scattered, random thoughts flying back and forth as they slipped back into their regions. Soon, only Mew and Arceus remained. _Show me,_ it demanded, the finality of its tone leaving no room for protest or fibs. Submissively, Mew went back to its world, Arceus at its tail.

_He's right h—what?_ Mew broke off as it realized the boy had disappeared from the bed. It tried to search for him but the endless piles upon piles of random human possessions made it hard to find such a small person. _He's somewhere in here,_ it said. _He can't fly, so he couldn't have escaped._

Arceus looked to the side and its head lowered a tad. Mew followed its gaze and saw that one of its bookshelves had toppled, catching itself on a nearby armchair to hang at a precarious forty-five-degree angle. The scattered books below neatly hid a small human form. Gasping, Mew zoomed down to the boy, but found him only covered by the volumes, not smothered. The spot was only ten feet or so away from the bed. It tapped his forehead and cheek repeatedly to no avail.

_Human boy, _Arceus boomed. The boy's eyelids fluttered dazedly and his head twitched upwards. _Is this a survivor of Deoxys' attack?_ it asked Mew.

_The only one I could find,_ Mew murmured woefully, landing on his head. _I am sorry._

He appeared tense at first, then touched its fur and relaxed. "I know you." It was the first time it ever heard him speak. His voice was very musical, like soft bells, and had the lull of one who was unused to speaking. "You're Mew. I read about you." He pointed at Arceus. "And you're the Alpha Pokémon. You made everything."

_He studies well, for a human, _Arceus noted.

_He's different,_ Mew said. _Very much so._

Arceus appeared pensive. The boy looked between them slowly, his eyes still fogged. He didn't quite understand yet. _Nevertheless, he must be returned to his world_.

_But Pallet Town is destroyed,_ Mew protested. His eyes widened slightly. It turned to him apologetically, remembering he had been unconscious.

_There are many cities in many regions. Pick one and drop him off._

_That is quite callous of you, Arceus._

_My responsibility does not lie with an orphaned child, Mew, neither is he a pet to be kept by us._

_But—_

_Mew, do you not understand me?_

_But how do you even know—_

"Sleepy," he murmured, "wanna sleep." His head sagged until his cheek was to the ground.

_He doesn't appear to want to leave, _Mew said.

_That's not the problem. A human can't exist in these conditions—_

_I'll help him! _Mew moved closer to Arceus, eyes wide and full of pleas.

Arceus gazed at it evenly. _Why are you so interested in this human boy?_

_I just am, as you were interested in Damos._

That seemed to strike something within Arceus. It sighed, rising into the air. _Only know I highly disapprove of this, Mew,_ it said before passing through the portal, disappearing. Mew smiled, returning to the boy's side. It knew Arceus well enough to know that was its way of agreeing, albeit grudgingly.

_You may rest. We know you need it. _Mew swirled around his head before grabbing his hand with both paws, gently tugging until he was free from the books. In the light of its multicolored stars, Mew could see several large and angry bruises marring his pale skin alongside many swelling and oozing scratches. It wondered if it truly did bring him across dimensions to die lightyears away from all who knew him.

"Why do you want me?" he asked, his voice even softer than before. "I'm unimpressive. I'm nobody. Joey and his friends always beat me up cuz I'm a nerd who reads books…" Mew leaned in to hear better and noticed tear tracks across his flushed cheeks. "I'm totally unimportant… Why would a Legendary want me?"

_It's okay,_ it cooed. _You're not unimportant. I really like you, um…_ It trailed off, still unsure of his name.

"Arist—" He sniffed, wiping his nose on the back of his hand. "My name is Aristotle. But… Oak called me Aries because…he said I have a kind of fire in my eyes."

_Aries. _The name seemed to fit him_. Do you really wish to stay?_ _Arceus said these conditions aren't suited for humans. You can be in extreme pain without proper training._

He thought for a moment. "You have a lot." Mew inclined its head and he nodded towards its many books. "I read all the books in the school's library. I wanted to read more for a while."

_It's never been done, training a human to be like a Legendary. It could take years and would place more pressure on your body, mind, and spirit than anything you could ever experience in the human world. You're already hurt—I don't know if you would survive that. You can go back now, Aries, and find human friends and live a normal life._

"_Normal. _I'm just that weird kid who would rather read a novel than battle Pokémon like everyone else his age. There… never was really a place for me in Pallet."

_You're not weird at all._

"Doesn't matter. It was stupid of me to say," he muttered. Mew stood up, hugging his arm awkwardly.

_It was not_. His eyelids fluttered.

"Everyone is really gone, aren't they?"

_They are, Aries._

"Even Joey?"

_Joseph as well._

His eyes shut tightly. "I miss him. A lot."

He was very quiet for a long time, long enough for Mew to gather he was sleeping. It poked his cheek curiously. He was injured, so resting was not abnormal, but if he had a concussion then he could potentially slip into a coma. It was terribly irritating to be unable to use its powers on him, which included healing. Someday, Mew would find the answer to that, but for now, the human needed his rest.


	3. 13 Aurora Borealis

**0.3 Aurora Borealis**

Taking care of a human was much like taking care of an injured Pokémon—if Pokémon were more complex than amino acid chains. They had dissimilar needs to attend to, different resistances, different aversions. Aries woke up exactly three hundred and sixty-two minutes later and requested something to eat. Evidently, that one request was more than both could handle.

Mew started off with some Berries: they were basic Pokémon food, and it had seen humans eat them on occasion. Aries rejected them instantly, stating he was allergic to one but unsure of the exact Berry and didn't want to risk it. A little irritated, it tried Magikarp, but Aries also rejected it, saying he couldn't eat raw fish. An attempt to cook it failed miserably, a second attempt failing even worse when Moltres failed to understand the word "overcooked." Finally, Mew decided to get scientific with it, combining glucose, glycerol, and fat-soluble vitamins into a chalky paste, offering it to Aries with assurances of it quickly allowing him to heal. Dubious, he tasted it, only to end up shockingly ill moments later. Mew was still trying to figure out what went wrong with its formula.

The second confusing instance was his body's way of expelling waste. Mew requested he do it in a bag so it may dispose of it, which he seemed fine with at first, but simply stood there as Mew hovered in its spot, appearing more and more anguished by the second. Mew repeatedly asked him what the problem was but he simply shook his head, which was when Mew finally decided to take its leave. It returned five minutes later and Aries shoved the bag in its direction, an odd expression on his face. _Humans are strange,_ was Mew's only thought on the matter.

Though he remained peculiar in his ways, he was a very avid learner, Mew discovered. Four hours out of the day it took him aside to teach him basic human skills such as arithmetic and history, but it found him a quick study, and thanks to his frequent reading he was already a few years ahead of others his age. Mew decided to instead teach him the ways of the Legendary—meditation, arbitration, and divine intervention, which included their godly abilities. He was most dubious about his ability to learn them, where Mew convinced him even a commonplace human could learn rudimentary Psychic abilities, such as Gym Leader Sabrina.

(Though she was a prodigy, and as precocious as Aries was, he was not that.)

Time passed much slower in the Legendaries' dimensions than it did on Earth, but Mew measured three days of Earth time before Aries' body finally reached its limit. One day, Mew returned from an excursion to the human world—they chalked up the destruction of Pallet Town to "foreign intervention," which seemed to be their description of Deoxys; suffice it to say, there was still a lot of mystery surrounding the event for them, as well as a severe amount of grief—and didn't find him in his usual chair reading. It searched a bit before hearing his cry, the same cry he made when he was in pain from Deoxys' attack. It found him curled up beneath a toppled tower of books, which were so large they almost dwarfed his small body.

It quickly made work of the mess, tossing the books out of his way and attempting to help him to his feet. However, he cried out again, refusing to straighten up or move a single millimeter. It occurred to Mew he had been in its dimension for three days, which was an extraordinary amount of time for him to have been completely at ease. It would've congratulated him, but judging by the extreme pain caused by the pressure of the dimension, he would most likely be unreceptive.

_Arceus warned you of this,_ it said. A single tear streaked down his splotchy face and his lips twisted into a contorted line.

"It hurts— Ten times worse than Joey. A hundred times worse than the chimney. It really hurts, mum."

He tended to slur his _Mew_ into _mum_, which Mew would have usually protested, but now his health was its main concern. It tried to soothe him, humming lullabies it had often heard in the human world and wiping away each tear he shed, however he continued to writhe in pain. _If only I could heal him,_ it thought miserably. Then, _I shouldn't be lamenting over this. I should be trying to find an answer._

It took a while, but Mew managed to coerce him into a sitting position. _Meditate,_ it said. Aries ignored it the first time, grimacing. _Meditate,_ Mew repeated, sitting opposite to him_. It will help, I promise. Just close your eyes and slip back into your mind. It shouldn't be hard, especially since you do this every time you fall into a book._

Aries exhaled slowly and closed his eyes. Almost immediately the tension left his body and he was completely still. Mew silently hovered around him, touching him in several places on his body and failing to cause him to even flinch. It smiled, clapping his hands. He mastered meditation very quickly for a human child, though the extreme pain was probably a very good motivation.

He spent a very long time in a meditative state. Mew took advantage of the time, checking in on the human world while he couldn't ask it about it. Though it would love to take him there, it would have too many repercussions. For him to speak about the Legendary Pokémon and the several entrances into their dimensions would spell out their destruction—not that Mew believed humans were destructive like the others, but it did believe most ruined things they touched, and it loved its junk collection.

Mew returned with something the humans called "ice cream," which was frozen Moomoo Milk congealed into a thick slush and colored with artificial flavors. For all its fallacy, it did taste very nice, and it wanted to share it with Aries, come to find out he had come out of his meditative state somewhere during its excursion and had fallen asleep. It landed next to him and nudged his face. He moaned softly, rolling onto his back.

_Aries, I have something I want you to see_. Aries' eyelids slid back a bit.

"Wha's it?" he slurred groggily. Mew held out the ice cream cone and he half-sat up, looking at it in mild interest.

_They call it 'ice cream.'_

"I know, Mew. I had it in Pallet Town."

_Oh._ Mew's shoulders slumped. It had wanted to surprise Aries, but again fell flat on its face.

"I don't like sweet things anyway," he said. Mew suspended it in the air with Psychic, keeping the bubble of energy cool so it didn't melt.

_Are you feeling better?_

"Yes. I mean, it still kinda hurts, but not as bad."

_That's very good. You learned the art of meditation so quickly, but it does help that you already do it._

"You can learn a lot if you're always alone." He didn't say it regretfully, more of a matter-of-fact manner.

_You can't possibly always be alone, Aries. You should have had some sort of company—_

"I do," he said. "But it doesn't mean it's the company I want." Joey and his friends came to mind.

_Why do they assault you as they do? You said it is because you're always reading, but it certainly can't be the case for all the times._

"Yet, it is." This time, a bit of sorrow trickled into his tone. Mew prodded the ice cream's bubble, watching it quiver and bob in the air.

_What did you read about me?_ Mew asked, curious.

"Um…" He thought for a moment. "You're the Ancient Pokémon, said to be the ancestor of all existing Pokémon. You can learn any and every move and you are invisible to anyone with an impure heart. Did I get it right?"

_You forgot one thing._ His crestfallen expression was akin to a kicked puppy's. _I'm a collector of human items._

"Oh." He looked around at Mew's extensive collection. "I just like the books. Oak only had ones from Kanto and you have them from all the regions. Did you really travel everywhere?"

_In every time,_ Mew added.

"Amazing. How long…have you been around?"

_Around?_

"Alive."

_A long time, _it said after a few seconds. _Legendary Pokémon spend most of their time in their individual universes, and wherever they may be, time works differently here than on Earth—slower. So, we often live very long lives, and even when we die, we are eventually revived with our memories, so all—this—is more like what I and several past Mews have amassed._

"That's…I don't know what to say…" Then he sobered up. "Why did you choose me, Mew? Out of _all_ the people in the world, the Pokémon Champions and adventurers and such, you chose me, a lonely little orphan brat in miniscule Pallet Town."

_I've noticed you have an inferiority complex, which is completely ludicrous when you've such an astonishing intelligence quotient and potential as a human._

"You _noticed?_" He appeared bemused then. "You mean you read my mind, right?"

Mew shook its head. _I cannot use any Psychic abilities on you for reasons unknown to me._

"You…can't?"

_No._

An indecipherable expression passed over his face. It vanished too quickly for Mew to question, only to be replaced by distraction. "I miss Pallet Town," he murmured. Then, "Could you…take me to my world? Please? Just for tonight?"

_Aries, I can't. Arceus—_

"He doesn't have to know!"

_Arceus knows all._

"You don't even have to take me near Pallet Town! Just anywhere, please!" He bowed his head. "Please…" The longing in his voice was very clear. It touched his head.

_Arceus' reasons for you to stay and mine are completely different. He believes you will die because of this atmosphere and does not want your body to remain in the human world where they can discover the abnormalities in it, correlating it with us Legendary Pokémon. Mine are it would be too problematic for your body to constantly adjust to our world's atmosphere and Earth's, and your organs and skeleton would eventually suffer from the fluctuating pressure._

"Just once, Mew…" He put his arms around it, pulling it close. Even for a five-year-old, Aries was small—Mew was a little bigger than his whole upper half, which made it awkward as he hugged her like a stuffed animal. "Please. _Please_." Mew realized it wasn't childish desire in his voice but pure, agonized longing. It wished more than ever it could connect with him psychically and feel the pain he felt, but it was left in the dark as he pressed it as tightly as possible against his body, his hair tickling its face.

_Aries—Aries, please—you're too—Aries—I can't—_ He didn't relent in the least—if anything, he held it tighter. _Aries—Aristotle, release me—you don't understand—I—I c—I'll take you._

He stood up so quickly it was almost inhuman, holding Mew away from him. "You will?"

_I will. In return, I'd like it if you refrain from telling Arceus. I will attempt to hide this excursion from him as long as possible._

"Of course!" Mew noticed he was looking a little to its left instead of directly at it, but ignored it for the time being. It was going back to the human world, this time with a guest.

* * *

"Where are we?" Aries asked, his breath freezing into a cloud of grey mist. He was shivering, which was understandable when they were one of the polar regions on Earth, which were renowned for their extreme temperatures, and he was wearing a simple shirt and pants.

_Far north,_ Mew answered, plopping down into the blanket of snow. It was always amazing, how it was so plush, like nature's carpeting. It made a mental note to thank Articuno later. _I want to show you something._

"Can I get a sweater first?" Mew had a tough time understanding him with his teeth chattering so hard.

_Are you cold, Aries?_

"No, I'm just shaking because I like the feeling." He rolled his eyes with a frozen sigh.

_Why are you being sarcastic?_

"Because the answer is obvious."

Mew stared at him for a few seconds more before letting its eyes fall to the snow. It had forgotten how fragile humans were—he could very well freeze to death in temperatures like that ill-equipped. It used Protect to create a bubble around them, pushing the snow outside until their little space was just smooth dirt. Then it used a weak Heat Wave, warming the space until Aries relaxed and fell to the ground.

"Why did you take me _here_? I could've died…unless you were planning that." His face didn't change but something in his tone did.

_No!_ Mew looked up at the sky. It was late in the night, perhaps a few hours after the midnight hour, and it was very dark, the three-quarter moon and its few stars barely lighting the area. Around them, some Jynx and Delibird shuffled through the snow, returning to their homes._ I assumed, maybe, after experiencing such pain, you would like to enjoy something. Also, I know you read about this—you read about everything, it seems—but there are tremendously low chances of you having seen it in person._

"Seen what?"

It waited until the last Pokémon disappeared and the area grew quiet. Then, on the furthest end of the horizon where the sun had disappeared, a glimmer of green appeared. The green expanded into several shades, lifting across the sky in a wide arc, stretching across the world and their eyes. The arc was joined by another, and another, and another as the minutes passed. They grew, intensifying until their light shone through the murk and towards the moon. Other colors appeared, blue and purple and orange, and joined the others, merging until they all formed a long iridescent stream burning through the night sky. Aries gasped, his face glowing from the vibrancy.

"The _aurora borealis_!" he said. "The northern lights!" He watched in awe as the lights glittered and gleamed, admiration for nature's beauty clear in his features.

_I have been observing them since they first appeared and the glory never dulls,_ Mew said, though it doubted he heard him as he appeared completely consumed in watching the lights flash and wiggle. It reclined in their little bubble and watched with him, content to let him enjoy his moment of humanity in silence. The Legendaries' dimensions had its fair share of visual spectacles, yet none could amount to the naturally-made things on Earth. Aries deserved something normal for the night before things truly became hard for him.

The northern lights remained in the sky for sixty-seven minutes before they began to wane, lights dulling and fading until they were no more than scratches of color in the blackness of the arctic. It turned to Aries and found him curled up on the dirt, fast asleep. As mature as he acted, he did fall asleep quickly like the child he was. It sighed, pulling his hair and tugging his arm, but he refused to wake up. It slumped against his body resignedly, exhaling.

_You seem very content, Mew._

It snapped to attention, eyes raised to the sky. Arceus didn't grace it with its physical presence but its voice was still crystal-clear. _Arceus, I'm sorry—_

_If you've taken him back, you should be prepared to leave him, _it said impassively.

_No, Arceus—_

_What, Mew?_ it snapped. _It was your decision to keep him in our world, yet you brought him back! You disregarded our agreement. It's time to face the repercussions._

_No, Arceus, I don't want to bring him back!_

There was a loud _boom!_ It was astounding no Pokémon rushed outside to find its source. _You must remember, Mew, it was _I_ who created all humans as living organisms and _I_ who gave them autonomy. They are not to be coveted and captured and held like trinkets._

_I _know_! Do you think I am unaware of what I am doing? _Mew wrapped its tail around him before Arceus could continue, shattering their protective bubble. He shuddered once in his sleep, a grimace twisting his features as he was reintroduced to the painful cold. It floated up, visibly straining to lift a person triple its weight. It quivered and shook in the air, nearly falling back to earth several times as it sped across the snow. It put a block over its mind, shutting out Arceus and any other potential obstructions. It had no idea how it was going to manage a passage home by itself, but it was going to—the only question was if it was going alone, or with Aries.

It wasn't sure how far it got—it couldn't have been more than sixty feet, not with the extra weight—but soon it was unable to support itself even by Psychic, falling to the ground near a loping rock formation structured like a cave. It managed to drag Aries beneath it, pushing the snow away before it was completely drained of mental energy. It fell to its side, curling into Aries' body. While its mind was clear, its ears were full of the sounds of a forming blizzard, fierce winds whirling and shoving snow around and pelting them with it. It wanted to tell Articuno to cease and desist but opening its mind would make it victim to Arceus' haranguing, and it wasn't worth it.

Aries' life, on the other hand, was.

No more than five minutes had passed, but tremors wracked his small body even though he was curled up into as tight a ball as possible. His fingertips and toes were very white, and his jaw was clenched so tightly the muscles were like steel. If they stayed like that, he would die of hypothermia before the night had even partly elapsed, and the fault would be for Mew's own egoism.

_I should've just left him in another town, like Arceus said,_ it thought dejectedly.

_Ah, yes, yet another show of your idiocy._

Mew sat ramrod straight, searching through the thick sheet of snow falling from the sky for the source of the unfamiliar voice. At first, it couldn't see anything, but quickly sensed an approaching presence to the northeast. _Who are you?_ it demanded, fearful of Deoxys' return.

_Not that virus, Deoxys, _the voice answered calmly. It could read its thoughts too? _And yes, I can read your thoughts perfectly. You really do love that human, don't you? I don't see why—humans are so weak, so fragile. He'll be dead within the hour._

_Show yourself._

_Is it my fault it's snowing so hard?_

_Show yourself,_ it repeated.

The intruder gave a world-weary sigh. The snow parted and curved around a bubble of psychic energy, revealing the figure of the stranger. Mew's first action was to gasp, broken and scattered thoughts racing in its mind. _'It looks like me?' That's the base of those illogical thoughts, am I right?_

_Who are you? _Mew rose into the air with its tail lashing from side to side. The other Pokémon did look like it, however marginally: it had the same skeletal structure and apparently, the same mental capabilities, yet whereas Mew's presence was jovial and happy-go-lucky, this one's was foreboding and menacing.

_The name they gave me is 'Mewtwo_.' It stepped closer, snow easily bending to its will as it grew within spitting distance of them. _Though it is not the name I'd prefer, it does describe me very well._

_Why did you approach me?_ It tried to hover protectively over Aries but failed in its powerless state.

_I'm not here to fight, if that's what you're frightened of_. _I am quite exhausted and not in the mood for conflict. I approached you to offer a bit of advice._

_Advice?_ it repeated lamely.

_Yes, advice. I am acutely aware of your self-indulgent want to avoid Arceus and the facts it's sure to throw at you, so I recommend you take that dying human to the nearest city, Snowpoint, unless you want your toy to be a Popsicle._

_Popsicle? I…don't think I've witnessed that._

_Oh, just take him. Heed my warning if you please, I don't care either way. But I feel some good is warranted after what I've done._ A chilled wind blew through as Mewtwo regarded the path behind it. Its eyes were miles away, bleary and dull and bright with the color of spilt blood, and Mew absently wondered what tragedy it witnessed…or caused.

_How did you find me?_ Mewtwo's laugh returned in its skull.

_We are much closer than you think._

That chilled Mew down to its skeleton. _How could it possibly know?_ it thought, a weak whine escaping its dry mouth. It heard Aries moan, too, and remembered he was slipping into critical condition. Discarding its questions, it forced its form to change into a Fearow and, taking Aries in its claws, it soared up into the sky, above the freezing clouds, and raced for Snowpoint City.


	4. 14 Misplaced Mercy

**0.4 Misplaced Mercy**

Mew amused itself by poking Aries at first, then when that grew tiresome it began fiddling with the intravenous fluid sacks hanging at his bedside. His breathing was normal if a bit hitched at times, and his extremities were red and spotty with developing blisters from the three heaters warming up the room. At odd intervals, his face would twist in pain from the re-warming process, which was when it moved closer and gently stroked his head and hand until he calmed down again.

_'__You must remember, Mew, it was I who created all humans as living organisms and I who gave them autonomy. They are not to be coveted and captured and held like trinkets.'_

It cringed, resting at his side. Arceus' words were true, painfully so, however it was not willing to part with Aries through a combination of greed and intrigue. He didn't seem to mind, but it was unable to read his mind and soul—humans could so easily lie to disguise their feelings. He could've been terrified of Mew and been pretending to like it out of fear of Mew's powers. It was not unlikely, but the thought of it had Mew's mind racing for any other possible circumstance.

The door opened them, eliciting a gasp from it as it hurried to make itself invisible. It had almost forgotten it could do that since it preferred its presence in Aries' life. A thin black-haired woman it instantly identified as Gym Leader Candice and a fair-haired doctor entered the room, the latter approaching Aries' side. Dr. Alexander Ralph, Mew realized, tuning in to his mental wavelength—he also had three kids, a wife who had suspiciously treacherous actions, and a mother who leeched him of resources—checked Aries' vitals and wrote his observations down on a clipboard.

"How's he doing, Dr. Ralph?" she asked, a thinly veiled note of tension in her voice. It was very understandable when she was the one who discovered Aries' freezing body outside of her Gym—all gratitude being owed to Mew, who stretched its physical limits in getting him there—and had to race him to Snowpoint City's only clinic before he died of hypothermia or lost his limbs due to frostbite.

"His health is still poor, but he's improved a lot since earlier," the doctor responded, straightening. "It was miraculous he was found when he was—another five minutes and he would have had frostbite so severe he would've lost a limb. Though I am confused as to why a child was wandering in a blizzard unprepared like this…"

"Maybe he didn't see it coming."

"Anyone who lives here can easily tell when a blizzard's coming, Candice, and no visitors have arrived in a few months. It's a complete mystery where he came from."

"Hey doc, why don't we focus on the _what_ instead of the _how_? Like, what to do with him? I'd like to keep him—it'd be fun to have him and Abomasnow," she mused.

"He's not a pet, Candice. His parents are probably very worried."

"Oh, right." She was more than a bit deflated. Dr. Ralph gave her an even look.

"You wanted to help here since there were no challengers at the Gym, so shouldn't you be, I don't know, _helping_?"

"I tried to help the nurse give medication, but she shooed me away!" _Arceus knows why,_ the doctor thought sardonically.

"Well look, I need help with some paperwork. Can you handle that?" Candice puffed out her cheeks, offended, as he moved past her through the door. She halted at the threshold, moving closer to Aries and taking his small hand in hers.

"Hey, kid, don't die, okay?" she whispered. "There were a lot of deaths in Pallet Town the other day. The whole town was destroyed, and both people and Pokémon died. Nobody needs any more sadness after all that." When she was sure he wasn't going to wake up at that moment, she pulled away, shutting the door softly as she exited the room.

Mew rose from Aries' side, becoming visible in case he chose that moment to open his eyes. He had very pretty eyes, it knew, but it couldn't remember the exact color since it changed with the lighting. It wished it could see them though, or a twitch in his blistering fingers, or a compressing of the eyebrows. It wished it could see his human expressions it had grown so used to—his grimace, his frown, his smile, his admiration—but it also knew it was its fault he couldn't make them.

_It's my fault,_ it thought, landing on his chest with an inaudible _thump_. It had always been a curious Pokémon, but Aries was not an inanimate object—far from it. As Arceus said and it was once again painfully reminded of, Aries was independent and was not to be kept like its newest knick-knack. It really shouldn't have taken him into its world on some vague premonition, not when he was rooted to life on Earth. It really should've thought things through, but its recklessness won out in the end, and now both were paying for it.

As if its touch was venomous it lurched into the air, moving as far away from Aries as possible in the cubical room. Its back hit the only window, and it turned to fumbled with the brass lock, forcing it open and pushing the window up. Chilly air swished in for the span of two heartbeats before it sped through and slammed it shut, a frozen exhale escaping its lips.

Someone _is in a hurry, _a familiarly sardonic voice said. Mew spun and found its not-quite-an-adversary, Mewtwo, checking its hand/paw languidly. _I too would be flustered if I realized I was hoarding a human like a pet._

_I was not,_ it protested feebly, halfheartedly.

_Yes, yes, _Mewtwo said, obviously not believing Mew's farce. _Well, I'm just here to offer another bit of advice, out of the goodness of my heart._ Mew waited but it remained silent, gazing at the wintry scenery around them.

_Is there a punch line to this, Mewtwo?_

_Oh? Ha-ha!_ It burst into a fit of laughter, doubling over with its arms clenched around its slender torso. _Mew made a joke! How witty! _It laughed for a few moments more before sighing, standing straight and wiping its eye. _ I must build the dramatics, after all. Well, the "punch line" to this is Kanto as you know it—and the little playmate of yours?—are both in grave danger._

It took a few moments for it to sink in. _What?_

_My advice is that you make haste to Mahogany Town of the Johto region. Well, that's it._

_Why, Mewtwo? _Mew moved closer as Mewtwo turned its back. _Who are you, really, and why do you seek to help me?_

_All answers come in due time to those who exhibit patience. A virtue, Mew, which you've yet to master. Heed my words and you will find the situation gravely illuminated. _With that, like a ghostly specter, Mewtwo vanished in the next snowy breeze.

"Mew?" a weak voice crooned. It was so very weak, yet Mew heard it a thousand times over in its mind—it was Aries' unmistakable voice, lost, bemused, a bit fearful. Its first reaction was to move toward him, then it stopped, remembering the reason why it left in the first place. It trembled in the air as tears built in its eyes, freezing into crystal as they fell to the snow. It couldn't have been more uncertain as it opened a mental link with Palkia.

_Palkia? Are you there?_

_Eh? Mew? Ya know, Arceus is 'bout ready to chew you to bits._

_I know, I know… _It was lucky its thoughts didn't sound as sob filled as its voice. _Just… Please open a portal to the Johto region._

_Eh? Why should I?_

_Please…_

Palkia perhaps sensed the melancholy and weariness of Mew's voice, because a rip in space appeared directly to its left. It swept in without a second thought—only to fall right into Arceus' clutches. It halted and staggered backwards in the air to no avail. Its eyes never left Mew's, its expressionless face somehow appearing furious.

_Very cold in Snowpoint, it was,_ Mew said halfheartedly. Arceus was not amused in the least. But its frustration simmered down with a long sigh.

_Mew_. Suddenly it didn't seem so terrifyingly frightening anymore, simply very fatigued, as one who governs all in the universe would be. _About the child—_

_I know what you're going to say,_ it interrupted, _and I already did so, which you should be ecstatic about. I left him in the human's world._

_Pardon?_ Arceus seemed completely taken aback by this revelation.

_I thought very hard about what you said. Humans are autonomous and not to be kept as pets…and I realized, however petulant I could act about it, it is the truth: I cannot hold Aries—Aristotle here against his will, not when he has a life with the humans. So, I left him._

Arceus regarded it with blank eyes. _That is a very wise decision, Mew. However, his memories—_

_He's young. One thing I am very aware of is the adult humans will simply shake off whatever tales he holds of these worlds, and even he will soon forget in a few years. Trust me, Arceus._

Arceus looked like it had more to say on the matter, but with one look at Mew's face it relented, raising its head. _Very well. You may leave._

* * *

_Hey, Mew!_

Mew squeezed its eyes shut tighter as it squirmed beneath a particularly large pile of old records, hoping to hide, but the effort was fruitless in the face of a fellow Psychic-type. Latios' mental grip was strong and firm as he dragged Mew out and set it atop the bed Aries once slept on. If Mew concentrated enough, it could still smell him.

_What is it, Latios?_ it sighed. Latios faltered in the air, a slightly dismal expression crossing his face.

_Why do you say it as if I'm some sort of disease? C'mon, Mew, let's go Junk Hunting! _He buzzed around like an angry Beedrill, almost blurring with the speeds he could reach. _I know a _very_ good spot near Slateport where plenty of human belongings drifted, and I just _know_ you'll _love_ it—_

_I'm sorry, Latios, but I'm not in the mood._

He halted so fast Mew was almost sad it put a stop to his antics. _What? Mew, you're _always_ in the mood. Wait…_ He looked around. _Where's the little brat—I mean the adorable child you're toting? What happened to him?_

_His name is Aristotle. _Mew's thought came out as a low murmur.

_Yeah, him. What happened to him?_

_I left him in the human world. To stay._

_Oh. Oh, wow. Hey, I'm sorry,_ he said weakly, patting Mew's back. _Things happen, you know? But you ever heard the old saying about letting things you love go, and if they come back then it's meant to be?_

_I'm sorry Latios, but I don't think he'll be returning anytime soon._

_Oh, well._

_You should leave._ Mew said it in a neutral tone, but Latios took the hint and zoomed away with a small and uncomfortable smile in its direction. It crawled under the heavy sheets, feeling the aching emptiness of both the dimension and its chest cavity.

Fifty-nine Earth weeks after it left Aries, Mew was attempting to read one of the books Aries favored, _The Autonomic System of Ghost-type Pokémon_, and finding it horribly drab (it already knew all its contents—it knew every Pokémon inside and out, literally) just when a shuffling of feet broke through the previously still air. The book fell to the ground in its haste to float up, eyes darting to find the source of the noise.

"You should maybe increase your awareness, 'Ancient Pokémon' Mew," Mewtwo scorned, reclining in what was once Aries' preferred armchair.

"Mewtwo, how—" Mew clapped its hand over its mouth, realizing not only had Mewtwo verbally spoken, it had as well, in a high-pitched voice it never knew it had.

"How are we communicating verbally instead of mentally?" it finished. Mew nodded, stunned. "Ah, it's a simple yet complicated trick, but it's quite easy to do now that my power is increasing."

"What—" This time, it didn't stop out of surprise: it stopped because it realized Mewtwo's body had grown, a whole foot taller and appearing four or five feet to Mew's two, and its aura was more potent than before.

_What, do you prefer this instead?_ _I don't. It's such a rigid and formal way of communication. I prefer _my way_, you see._

"I don't know—" Mew paused, then resumed its conversation telepathically. _I don't know how or why you're here, but you need to leave now._

"Ha!" Its laugh was ten times worse, ten times more derisive and belittling, when Mew could hear it. "Your threats are meaningless to one with greater than or equal to power to yours, though I believe the former will be more accurate in a few hours."

_I— Wait, how _did_ you get here? The only way is through Palkia's portals or the hidden emergency entrances in the humans' world…_

"Your _hidden entrances_ are not so _hidden_ to a fellow Legendary."

_A_ what?

"A fellow Legendary," it repeated coolly. "Don't tell me you're becoming hard of hearing in your old age."

_I heard you quite well. I just cannot wrap my head around it._

"Well, you should, because the truth isn't going anywhere anytime soon. But I digress; I came here to tell you something… Oh, what was it…"

Mew and Mewtwo knew very well it hadn't forgotten—expert psychics like them never just _forgot_ something—and it was just toying with Mew, but it was unwilling to rush its opponent lest it do something unpredictable. It still didn't have any idea of Mewtwo's powers or limits; provoking it would be travelling into the lion's den blinded and bound.

"Oh, yes…" It stood, remaining completely still until Mew caught the hint to lower itself until it was eye-to-eye with its other. "I advised you to visit Mahogany Town. How long has it been without you heeding my words, Mew?"

_Why should I take heed to a single word you say? You are far worse than an unreliable source, Mewtwo._

"True, true." Then it smiled. "But what else is there to lose when your little pet is already gone?"

_He's not—_

"Not your pet anymore," it interrupted. "But you know as well as I, you were containing him as if he was one. Now, I recommend you visit your fellow Legendaries. And before you start rambling, I _recommend_. You have every right humanly and Pokémon-ly possible to refuse to go, but I'm saying it is _highly_ recommended you do, especially since you chose to ignore my earlier suggestion. If I were you, I'd be glad I'm going out of my way to tell you all of this in the first place. I do have better things to do with my life, you know."

_I couldn't tell with the way you shamelessly stalk me._

"_Stalking_, _strategically observing_, why nitpick?"

I_ don't nitpick, the law does._

"Human law, you mean. Laws regarding Pokémon are, as they say, _an entirely different ballgame_. Pokémon are 'worthless little monsters with fractional I.Q.s and have no value outside of serving the purposes their masters demand.' I heard a group of humans say this. They don't pay us any mind at all, so what happens in the Pokémon world, stays in the Pokémon world. But you, you aren't a human, and though I hate to admit it, we are connected more ways than one. You haven't wronged me as humankind has, so I have no qualms in offering the bit of knowledge I've gleaned in my short span of existence." It rose and snapped its fingers in Mew's face, startling it with the realization of how close it drew. "Now, are you going? I do have a lot of reading to do here."

* * *

The main dimension was in a frenzied state. The Eon duo were arguing about something inconsequential and two of the three birds were squawking and circling high above, random bits of thought barely making it to Mew's mind as Latios and Latias shouted telepathically and the golems made a racket with each slow, agonizing step to the center of the cavernous dimension. It attempted to approach the nearest Legendary, which happened to be Rayquaza, but it was in less of a mood to talk than usual.

_I don't want to hear your crap today, Mew._ Each word was partially mutated into a growl and it quickly spun away. _Not when everything is so chaotic._

_Why _is_ it chaotic? _But Rayquaza had already turned its attention to Groudon. It sighed, searching for the next nearest—and hopefully friendliest—Legendary Pokémon. To its immediate relief, it spotted Cresselia near the Spirits of the Lake. _Cresselia,_ Mew started, approaching her.

_Hello, dear,_ she greeted, turning to reprimand the others. _Mespirit, Azelf, please stop toying with Uxie._

_Cresselia, can you please explain to me what in Arceus' name is going on?_ Mew pleaded breathlessly (figuratively, of course).

Cresselia bowed her head, regarding Mespirit and Azelf as they fluttered around Uxie frozen in meditation before speaking, _Are you aware of Team Rocket?_

_They're Kanto's lords of all underground dealings, correct?_

_Accurate, yes. But now they have risen from simple shady actions._

_What do you mean?_

_Uh, yeah, Cresselia, you're slow to get to the point, _Azelf interrupted, dropping down to Mew's level. _What she's being so _slow_ to say is they've—_

_They took our dogs!_ Mespirit suddenly wailed, a wave of shiny tears flowing from its eyes as it fell to the ground, sobbing. Azelf rolled its eyes.

_Far too emotional,_ it commented. _Oh, well, to put it bluntly, they took our dogs. Entei and Raikou—gone. Poof. Ho-Oh and Lugia found out last night._

_Silver was out searching for his "uncle" Suicune,_ Uxie said, its impassive voice heavily contrasting Mespirit's sorrowing one and Azelf's derisive one, _where it found Suicune in its cave mourning a great loss. Upon further investigation, it discovered Entei and Raikou had been captured by a red-haired Trainer wielding a Typhlosion._

_A red-haired Trainer with a Typhlosion?_

_Do you know of him? _Cresselia said.

_I don't know of him, but I have seen him before wandering the Johto region. I tried to read his mind at one point, but his natural resistance is so strong it blindsided me. _Just like Aries.

_Where is Arceus? Shouldn't it be corralling these beasts? _Azelf asked, producing a dry-erase marker from its nether regions and scribbling a handlebar moustache onto Uxie's face.

_I don't know. It should've been here a while ago. _Cresselia made a worried noise. _I hope it's alright._

_That's the least of our problems, _Latias said, coming up beside Mew. _Without Arceus, the Legendaries are even more chaotic than usual. We're never going to get anything accomplished, and every second we waste here Entei and Raikou are in more danger._

_Someone should take charge,_ Uxie said.

_Correct,_ Cresselia agreed. _But no one here has the gall._

Mew slowly revolved, analyzing each Legendary from each region, and realizing while many had the gall, none had the skills necessary. Namely, the Pokémon would have to be wise—which it was, after millennia of life—and responsible—which, aside from the Aries incident, it was—and authoritative—which was the hardest to accomplish for it, but if it managed against Mewtwo, it could against the rest.

It floated above all the Legendaries before calling, _Cease your chatter this instant!_

There were two seconds more of miscellaneous chatter before all became silent. Mew only felt the slightest spike of trepidation as it faced every Legendary Pokémon in existence. They all looked to it patiently, all except Rayquaza and Keldeo, who seemed far more content to make jokes about it in the background. Cobalion latched its jaws onto Keldeo's tail, pulling it away from Rayquaza.

_I've just been informed Entei and Raikou were captured,_ Mew began, evoking another round of gossip from the Legendaries. It waited until they silenced and continued, _Our first course of action, of course, is to create a plan to rescue them—_

_Our first _course of action_ should be storming and obliterating those damn humans!_ Giratina interrupted. Lugia, Regirock, Registeel, Regice, Groudon, Rayquaza, Palkia, Azelf, Zekrom, Heatran, Terrakion, and Keldeo all shouted in assent.

_No, our priority should be finding where those two are,_ Latias protested. Ho-Oh, Kyogre, Jirachi, Latios, Mespirit, Uxie, Reshiram, Regigigas, Dialga, and Victini agreed.

_Latias makes a point. You can't even storm the humans' world until you have a clear idea of where you're going,_ Mew said. _Doing so would just cause pandemonium we don't need. The biggest question is how we're going to acquire this information._

_I can handle that, no sweat, _Latios said. _It's simple to turn into a human and get information, and I'm fast enough to get the job done in forty-five seconds. Keldeo! Count for me! _It started counting as soon as Latios passed through the portal.

_Mew._ Mew drifted down to the source of the voice, Suicune. The Aurora Pokémon was sitting away from the other crowding Legendaries, eyes somewhat somber.

_Worry not, Suicune, we will recover the others—_

_Not my concern. Entei and Raikou can handle themselves._ Mew looked at it, perplexed. _What I am worried about is who captured them._

_You know? Why won't you tell the others?_

_Their teamwork is shoddy, their focus is worse, and, don't take this personally, half of them are incompetent acolytes._ It couldn't have taken it personally, not when it had the same thought several times.

_Then tell me. Who captured them?_

Suicune glanced at the other Legendaries, most still arguing about their methods, before answering, _The future heir to Team Rocket. Silver._

_Silver?_

_Though Latios will soon return with this knowledge, I'm sure—though not the most intelligent, he can be adept at uncovering information without detection. But he is young and haughty yet, so I deem to warn you, who is most likely to heed it: exercise extreme caution. Silver is a human Trainer, but that does nothing to blunt his skills._

Mew made a mental note to check for him on its next visit to the human world before recalling it hadn't gone back and most likely won't ever again, not when it was going to be constantly reminded of Aries. It knew, despite being a Psychic-type, willpower was not one of its strengths. If it did go to the human world, it would go searching, and it would most certainly not return alone, which would defeat the purpose of leaving him there in the first place. Though maybe it wouldn't hurt to just look at him, since he was in such a horrible condition last Mew saw. Maybe it should look, just to have one last image of him healthy and happy burned into its mind…

_Forty-four! _Keldeo suddenly shrieked. Latios chose that moment to reappear, reaching Mach speed as it zoomed to the center of Arceus' space, a loud shriek resulting from the shattered sound barrier preceding him that attracted every eye in the dimension. _Safe!_ Keldeo grinned.

_The Trainer's name is Silver! _he announced, not the least bit out of breath. _He's taking Entei and Raikou to Team Rocket's HQ!_

A loud cacophony ensued, one Mew had to silence with a series of exploding Shadow Balls. _I will go, bringing Suicune with me as it knows most of the situation. If we don't return in a timely matter, keep your heads. There has yet to be a human Trainer who could master a Legendary Pokémon._

_Mew. _Suicune inclined its head and neck submissively before meeting Mew's eyes. _You would make a fine leader._

Mew flushed a bit as Palkia created another portal into the human's world. _I am no leader, Suicune. I am content to let Arceus rule._

_I see. _With its usual grace and elegance, Suicune glided through the portal. Feeling much like plunging into an icy pool of trepidation, Mew followed.


	5. 15 Last of the Legends

**0.5 Last of the Legends**

Mew's first thought was the transportation failed, since it was very aware of its body but completely swallowed in darkness. Then it detected noise, however faint, and immediately made itself invisible. It felt the air change as Suicune altered the properties of its water vapor, shifting the way the light refracted so it would appear invisible. A door opened not so far away, and humming fluorescent lights glared to life.

As per Suicune's description, the Trainer indeed had red hair and a mean looking Typhlosion at his side. He wore an immaculate suit and strode with no shortage of confidence right towards Mew. It tensed, then it saw his eyes focused at a point below. It followed his gaze and gasped with shock.

Below them, a corner of the room was sectioned off with a wall of crackling green energy. The area was so small it left the two Legendary dogs very little space to move, forcing them to be shoulder-to-shoulder. Entei and Raikou were unconscious and contorted on the ground; Mew longed to come closer and make sure they were only unconscious, but Suicune beat it to the punch.

_No!_ Suicune lost its cool—a very rare occurrence for it—and regained its visibility, leaping upon Silver with jaws wide in preparation to tear his head from his body. Typhlosion was a hundred times faster, surrounding his body in electricity as he surged forward, tackling Suicune like a pro and sending it flying back into the wall with a bone-crunching _thud!_

"Look, it's the last deified mutt I needed." His arms were folded and a vicious smirk painted his face as he looked over Suicune's prone form. "Just when I was thinking I'd finally have to exert the tiniest effort to capture you so-called Legendaries. Was child's play, really."

_You insolent—arrogant—little— _Suicune's words came clipped by pain as it struggled to its feet. Mew's body shook with anticipation and it fought to keep itself hidden. Silver, meanwhile, sighed and shook his head.

"Is that the best as far as your insults go? I've heard far, far worse." Suicune growled and its hackles raised in warning. Silver's amusement became boredom and he turned to his Typhlosion. "Put that dog to rest."

"With pleasure." Typhlosion leapt high and curled in on itself, the spots around its neck flaring to life in a blaze of orange and red. The ball of fire collided into Suicune's haphazard corona of mist, creating a plume of hissing steam that doused Typhlosion's flames but did nothing against its momentum. There was a gross cracking from Suicune's body as it was squashed into the wall a second time. Mew was appalled and bloodless at the damage a normal Pokémon could inflict on it. It was impossible…it was…

_Ente— _Suicune struggled to its feet once more, relentless even as each step forward deepened the grimace on its face and caused its willowy body to tremble. _Raikou… Say something… _It coughed, a few drops of a clear, almost iridescent substance splattering on the ground.

"I suppose this is where the word _doggedly _originated." Silver had an easy time crossing the room to block Suicune's path before it could reach its kin. He had a hand on his hip and another hand on a small hand weapon. "You Legendaries don't know when to give up, probably because you're so used to getting what you want, when you want it. Even at the expense of a race you don't care to understand and never will understand. I know the concept fairly well," he finished with a touch of bitterness. Suicune's eyes narrowed to hateful daggers.

_Impudent human! Should you enslave us as you are so callously intent on doing, the world will—_

"Oh, pray tell, _what _will become of the world? Oh no, what will happen without our glorified gods traipsing around without a care or command in the world?" Silver threw his arms in the air and raised his pitch to nearly a wail. The sarcasm quickly ran dry and his tone turned monotonous, yet the frost in his eyes was more than enough to send a shiver down Mew's spine. "On the other hand, what _will _happen to our world if you're continued free reign, huh? Just look at what became of Pallet Town, what became of hundreds of lives in a single night."

Of course. Of course, Pallet Town would become an issue. Mew was ashamed to admit that neither it nor any fellow Legendary had brought up what Deoxys had done and how it would be seen. _Not because they didn't care about humanity! _But it could imagine that a human would easily peg such power as beyond standard Pokémon levels, and that it could even be called _legendary. _

If the humans thought the Legendaries were the cause of this destruction, could there be more Silvers out there, looking to stop them by force? It wasn't a matter of power—the Legendaries together could easily hold their own—but the message: if they fought back, the humans would be solidified in their belief that the Legendary Pokémon had turned. Even something as simple as striking this Trainer, who immobilized and injured the three dogs, could and would be an act of war.

"Although I won't pretend this is all for the good of the world…there certainly is a business aspect to this exchange. I have a bit of a heavy-handed deal going on, and I can't afford to fall short, ya know?" Silver sighed and cracked his neck, then levelled the gun at Suicune's body. "You understand, don't you? The big R needs all three mutts for…whatever it is they're planning, I don't care _too _much. If it'll buy me my freedom sooner, then what Daddy wants, Daddy gets."

With that, he pulled a trigger, and a small projectile shot into the corded muscle of Suicune's front leg. It howled shortly before collapsing onto its side.

_No, Suicune! _Darting between them, Mew's camouflage vanished in a second as it hovered over Suicune's unconscious form. Silver, meanwhile, chuckled softly.

"How lucky can I be, now? The Ancestor Pokémon itself shows its face without any provocation."

Mew ignored him as it looked over Suicune. Its vitals were a bit slow in its sleep, but Mew could not sense anything otherwise wrong with it. Mew made a quick circle around it as Suicune limply floated into the air, and it began to call Palkia for a port—

"Typhlosion, Ember."

Needles of white-hot pain pelted Mew's back. It let out a cry before falling atop Suicune's flank. Silver's Typhlosion came closer and Silver clicked his tongue. "Don't tell me you've forgotten the situation, little kitty. Make one move I don't like and Typhlosion will have something to say about it."

_This is…this is wrong, _Mew persisted, sending a glare in Silver's direction. _Capturing us—_

"And committing genocide is just _dandy _in your eyes, isn't it?" he interrupted, raising a hand. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but you Legendaries can't just do what you please because you have power on your side. I've had enough of that spiel since childbirth, and I'm sick of it. So now _I'm _the one with power on my side—_I'm _the one who holds your massive lives in my hand. I'm the one who gets to decide if you leave here with your buddies or even with your own life."

Mew's eyes began to glow but Silver was quicker on the draw: he pulled out a second Pokéball and flung it into the air. A shadowy energy shone from the opening and a lithe form darted free and tackled Mew to the ground. Mew struggled to break from its grip before it realized its psychic abilities were rendered useless.

"As I've said," Silver said with his Sneasel leering down at Mew pinned below him. "Bet you've never felt helpless before, huh?" Mew held its tongue and let silence fill their ears. Silver quickly lost interest at its lack of response and glanced at Entei and Raikou's forms. "Nevertheless, I have better things to do than stand around and gloat. It actually gets tiring after a while…no idea how Pops does it all the time…" He casually strolled past the Pokémon capable of reducing him to atoms and to the door. "The ball is rolling. Let's see if you manage to stop it before it causes damage."

Silver opened the door and Mew struggled against his Sneasel's iron grip to no avail. He cackled ruthlessly and waited until his Trainer and Typhlosion had left the immediate area before releasing Mew. "We'll meet again," he said in a voice synonymous with nails on a chalkboard. His laugh was chilling as he leapt up to the ceiling and disappeared through an open vent.

Mew was still shaking by the time it had Palkia summon a portal to return its friends.

* * *

It ran away.

The Legendaries had nothing but questions; answers, Mew had not. It shrunk under their scrutiny and even its relief as Entei, Suicune, and Raikou were proclaimed healthy was overshadowed by guilt. It was nothing more than a mere human's punching bag—Mew! Mew, the Pokémon second to Arceus! It felt it would die of shame and Rayquaza would suffer the same fate from its laughter, then proceed to mock Mew in whatever afterlife succeeded them.

Instead of facing what it had begun, by Silver or the Legendaries, Mew fled to its own space and buried itself among its books. It just couldn't face up, not to its foes or friends, and the thought made its stomach coil. It began to berate itself: How could it simply have left Silver like that? It should have done…something… _Something which would've proven his thoughts on Legendary Pokémon, _it thought, hugging itself into a tight ball. But what would it have mattered what he thought if he was a dead man? Arceus would have marked him for death without a second thought, and as much as it turned Mew's stomach, it could understand the elder's reasoning: Silver was an alpha-level threat on his own. But even if he perished, would his thought as well? Or were there more humans who thought of the Legendaries as their enemies too?

Mew wanted to believe there was still one human who certainly thought they were good, who thought _it _was good. It puttered around the dimension in pointless circles before working up the energy to ask Palkia for another portal. It was strangely reticent and obeyed without a word, but Mew was too distracted to question it and reentered the human world.

Palkia's portal put it out several dozen feet above a forest canopy. Looking around, Mew could only see more trees for miles. It gathered up its energy to blast across the foliage in the direction of human life, leaving whorls of leaves in its wake. It was very far from Snowpoint, but humans moved around quite often—perhaps it was closer to Aries than it believed. It couldn't know anyway, because Aries was impossible to sense. So it simply tried to believe in fate.

It wasn't long before the trees thinned, and the greenery below morphed into an expansive lake. Mew scanned the surrounding clearing but couldn't find any life aside from some small Pokémon. It suddenly sensed vicious intent and put up a barrier in time to deflect a pressurized cannon of water.

"Trespasser! Leave this area now!" A red Gyarados was writhing in the sea below, tail lashing and throwing up choppy waves that hit the shore like boulders. Mew sighed and continued forward until a strong wind surged this time, swirling around it like blades while simultaneously pushing it higher into the air. Mew's eyes narrowed and it dispelled the Hurricane with a thought.

_You are testing my patience. You won't like the result if I strike back._

The Gyarados did not heed its words and attacked again with a Hyper Beam. Mew scoffed internally—the attack's scale was nothing compared to Deoxys'—and weaved around it before spinning in a tight circle directly above Gyarados' head. Clouds dark like charcoal formed within its circuit and rumbled ominously; Gyarados finally calmed its rage a bit, but not before lightning was already coiling between the rainclouds. Mew shot from the range seconds before a massive lightning bolt struck down in the center of the lake. The fish below were spared, but the Gyarados shrieked as several hundred volts of electricity coursed through its body and scattered to the farthest corners of the sea. Gyarados pitched to one side and fell in slow motion to the water below, casting huge waves in the wake of the impact. Mew huffed and turned away from the scene.

Which was when it suddenly became aware of a tiny needle sticking out of its left flank.

Mew's heart raced nearly as fast as its form as it quickly cleared the remainder of the water below, but it realized it was losing air and the ground was swelling up like a tumor. As much psychic power as Mew believed it was exerting, it couldn't bring itself any higher. It would soon run out of strength, and at its current height, the water would feel like concrete.

"This way this way." Mew's arms were caught in a tight grip and it wasn't falling anymore, but moving forward. It arched its head back to see a female Murkrow carrying it to shore where three indistinguishable figures waited. As it grew closer, Mew made them out as two younger women wearing identical grey clothes and an older lady with stark red hair like Silver's and a white dress. "Lady-lady, here is Mew." The bird unceremoniously dropped Mew to the muddy ground.

"Well, well, well, it's Mew herself. She's like a little stuffed animal." The woman lifted Mew by her underarms as the younger women giggled. Mew's head felt cottony and it couldn't muster the strength to wiggle its tail, let alone escape.

"Are we going to capture her, Miss Ariana?" the girl on the left asked. Ariana pursed her lips.

"It would be nice, Team Rocket having the ultimate battle aid on its side, wouldn't it?" The second girl opened her mouth but received an elbow jab from the first before she could speak, followed by a quick mutter of _rhetoricalquestiondummy. _ "Perhaps in the future, but for right now, keeping her contained would cost too many resources." She turned Mew this way and that as if appraising a dress. "But since she _is _here… Lana, pass me my knife. Lenna, your handkerchief."

One of the girls gave Ariana a chunk of metal, and when she pressed the button a serrated and curved blade popped out. Ariana hummed softly as she dug the tip into Mew's cheek. Mew whined at the stinging pain, then the sensation died away although it felt its fur matting with blood. Ariana hid the blade and stowed the thing in the bodice of her dress; taking the handkerchief from the other girl, she swabbed some of Mew's blood and laid her down on the ground.

"This, meanwhile, will be very useful to us. That is, if our scientists don't _fail _again," she muttered, carefully folding the cloth and passing it off to her subordinate.

"Wh…What do we do about Mew?" Mew was finding it much more difficult to focus as the world swam in and out of focus like the tides.

"Leave it here. As I said already, we can't restrain it. Anyhow, the Legendary Pokémon won't be too troublesome for much longer."

_What does that mean? _Mew wondered, but it couldn't maintain its consciousness until they had already left, and by then Mew was completely out.

* * *

At first, Mew thought it was still unconscious, but it realized the darkness it saw was caused by the clouds covering the moon on a starless night. _Night,_ it thought, stumbling as it got to its feet. _I was out for six hours._ In a flash of pain, it remembered all that had happened. It tried to call Palkia to make a portal back to its dimension—it could use Celebi's healing powers there and return here to find Silver and/or Aries—but it only received static, which thoroughly confused it. It tried twice more before giving up, weary from the effort. It tried to fly but the attempt also fell flat—literally. It was trying to get up again when that agonizingly familiar voice broke through the silence of the night.

_You look worse for the wear, Mew,_ Mewtwo said, sitting in front of it. It tried to communicate—talk, think, whatever—but didn't have the energy to amuse him. "Oh, can't speak, can you?" it asked. It waited a few moments for the response that never came before continuing, "Well, that's a relief, actually. I have a story for you and I'm not in the mood for interruptions. Okay, here it is.

"Once upon a time, there was a determined, curious, impulsive Pokémon named—well, let's not worry about inconsequential details like names. The point is, this Pokémon—the curious and impulsive Pokémon—retrieved a human from a destroyed town, a human called—oh, yes, no names for now— retrieved a human and took him to its home like any stray, planning to feed him and groom him and teach him as if he was truly a stray." He smirked at Mew's stricken expression. "I can tell you're feeling a lot of déjà vu, but I promise you this is simply a story. A very realistic one, if anything.

"Later, this Pokémon learned the error of its ways and realized how wrong it is to capture a human and hold them like some sort of pet. This Pokémon, with this sudden change of heart, returned the human to his home after nearly causing his death in the arctic. At that point, it returned to its home, distraught but somewhat pleased with itself—oh, not quite pleased, to correct myself. Instead, it missed having a human to play with, to ask questions, to keep. You might want to prepare yourself, Mew, because the story takes a darker turn from here.

"Friends of this Pokémon were captured by a haughty and rotten but admittedly glorious Pokémon Trainer. This Trainer was a human of a caliber never seen by the Pokémon, someone immune to all mental advances and rotten down to his protons and electrons. The Pokémon went to rescue its friends, where they were, hmm, let's call it _infected_—" its smirk evolved into a grin at Mew's shock, "—by something of this Trainer's devising. Ignorant, this Pokémon returned the infected Pokémon to its home—" Mewtwo held up a finger as Mew scrambled to its feet. "I'm not done yet.

"And then, the boy this Pokémon set free is no longer so: captured, taken by the rotten Trainer for something the adults carelessly laughed off. _Mew, Mew was taking care of me, _he had said, and they simply laughed. All except the rotten one, who was the only one cunning enough to seize this information and take deathly advantage." It looked at Mew calmly. "What is it, Mew? You appear as if you have something to say or do. Come now, do you need help? Don't be afraid to ask—we do, after all, share DNA. I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel somewhat partial to you."

_Yet you play games, beating around the bush and doing nothing but taunting me. Don't I seem weak enough, Mewtwo? _Mew's voice was fueled by the vitriol dripping from its tone.

"Not quite. You don't know true weakness, not yet. This is still new to you, I take it." Mewtwo rose to its feet and its eyes hazed over with a purple light. At the same time, Mew felt a foreign force lifting it into the air and to Mewtwo's eye level. _Imagine being in suspended animation for who-knows-how-long, nothing more than a lab rat for scientists to poke and prod at until they're tired of you._

_Lab rat…?_

_Well, you wouldn't understand anyhow. _It released Mew and Mew was surprised to find itself floating on its own. _You have your own situation to take care of._

_Situation? _Finally, Mew had the energy to speak. Mewtwo smirked, raising its index finger.

"Yes. It's quite a sticky one, at that."

_Mewtwo!_

"Mind your tone. I feel so intimidated, I'm frightened of giving information."

_That is nothing but nonsense. Do you know what will happen if the Legendaries suffered a great tragedy, all at once?_

"No, I do not know, and I don't care to. In case you hadn't realized, Mew, I am very powerful—so powerful, in fact, that I can afford not to care. Your petty human squabbles no longer mean anything to me but the occasional buzzing annoyance." With a slash of its finger, Mewtwo created a space portal right next to them.

_You're a bad guy, aren't you?_ it asked. _You're the antagonist of this story?_

"_Bad_ is such a loose term," it said dismissively. "As to whether I am the antagonist of this story—nice label for all of this, by the way—let's let time reveal that fact too. I myself am still wondering that. Well, enough light conversation. There's somewhere you must be, and I'd hasten myself if I were you—which, coincidentally, I am, so you should listen." It pointed at the portal, a placid expression on its face. Mew hesitated, completely unwilling to drop the conversation at that, but finding no other option than to pass through the portal.

Mewtwo's portal, while still leading to the Legendaries' dimension, was different, colder and emptier. It shivered a bit as it passed through into the wide expanse of space, then shivered again, worse, as it took in the bloody scene before it.

"Oh, look who finally showed up," Silver grinned, tugging Aries' hand to bring him forward. He instead hid behind his legs, hair obscuring his face as he trembled. "Little brat, he is. Speaking of brats… Sneasel, manners. Greet our _friend_."

"Hi. Do you taste as crappy as the rest of these guys?" his Sneasel asked, grimacing as he dropped a limb torn into unrecognizable ribbons.

"Aristotle, you too." Silver sighed when Aries refused to move. "Afraid to face your old captor? Or are you ashamed to have given away her home's location?"

"Mew—" Aries cut himself off, ducking his head behind Silver's leg. He shivered violently, and Mew suddenly became aware of large purpling bruises across his arms.

"Cute kid," he said. "Quiet, but pretty damn smart. I can use him, which is the only reason I didn't have Team Rocket deal with him." _Deal with_ was as heavy as stone.

_Why?_ Mew's thoughts finally focused to a point. Silver's lip curled back a bit, as if the question enraged him.

"_Why_, you ask? Haven't we already been over this? You know why I did it, you're just in denial. You thought I was another bratty human that'd just get his comeuppance, didn't you? I'll admit, I might've, if Entei and Raikou hadn't paved the way for me." Said Pokémon were nothing more than numbers on a board now.

_Entei, Raikou…_

"I injected them with some Team Rocket-brand nanobots. They can track a flea across the galaxy. It's how I gleaned the spatial coordinates of your _little_ home, and the rest is history. I'd thank Pops, but he'd just shake me off like always."

"Watch your step," Sneasel sneered. Mew clapped its hands over its mouth, fighting the urge to gag as it raked its eyes over the lifeless bodies of its many friends—from Ho-Oh to Suicune to Celebi to Regice to Dialga to Zekrom to Yveltal, all still and without breath and—and—and—_dead_. Every one of them.

"You know," Silver said genially, "you Legendaries are easy to beat. Not so easy to get the upper hand on, I'll admit, but once I did, the rest was history."

_Arceus,_ it whispered, feeling its blood run cold as it met the eyes of the other Pokémon. The Alpha Pokémon, the one it had reported to for millennia, its strict-yet-somewhat-sympathetic guardian, was lying on its side, its hooves scrabbling weakly and eyes shifting all around. Mew hovered to it in a dazed state.

_I knew it,_ it muttered, voice so low Mew had to focus completely to hear it. _That human…was a bad idea._

_Arceus, don't talk—_

_This is why…humans…are not to be…trusted… _Arceus' voice faded, and Mew watched as the light in its eyes went out.

_Arceus… No, what were you going to say? Please don't be dead… The world would be lost without you… _I'd_ be lost without you… Come on… I'm sorry for always causing you trouble… I'm sorry for taking your Grass and Dark plates that time to play wi—with Latios… I'm sorry I'm the worst Legendary ever, I'll even make a written confession, just please please _please_ don't die Arceus…_

"See? There is nothing left for you here. Humans have stolen away what's yours—sound familiar?" Mew turned to him, wanting to smash every bone in his body with Psychic, but again finding itself powerless against his natural resistance. Apparently, the darkness in him doubled as a Dark type.

_You can't begin to fathom how much turmoil the world—nay, the _universe_ will be in without the Legendaries controlling it. Especially Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina, who keep the time, space, and nothingness of the world in perfect balance._

"I think _you _don't fathom that the universe was fine before you existed and will keep destroying and creating on its own watch. Hell, it might even flourish without your micromanagement." Silver tugged Aries' arm again. "Show me out. I believe we're _all _done here."

Aries' eyes locked with Mew's. He looked so, so small, and so frightened. "I… No, I can't…"

"Let me spell it out for you." He grabbed Aries' arm roughly, bringing him forward. "You better show me the way out, or else your friend pays." He jerked his chin at Mew, who cringed and shrunk back.

"No!" he exclaimed, eyes wide. He pulled free from Silver's grasp and shoved him in the stomach, unable to reach any higher. Silver began to laugh but stopped, face twisted into an expression of shock as he flew back five feet—not exactly _flew_, but his feet were three inches into the air—before slamming the soles of his boots on the "ground," just barely regaining his footing. Aries blinked, obviously surprised, as Silver clenched his teeth.

"Sneasel, Quick Attack," he ground out. His Sneasel seemed jubilant as he lurched forward, his speed so great only the splashing puddles of blood leaving evidence of him as he raced towards Aries. He just stared, his show of telekinesis turned useless at the Dark-type, and would've been cut to bits if Mew hadn't grabbed his collar, pulling him to the side. He hit the ground hard, blood splattering on his shirt and matting his hair, while the Sneasel slipped—Mew had to suppress a small laugh—and crashed into Registeel's body, losing his wits for a moment from the impact.

"Mew—" he started, breathless, tears springing into the corners of his eyes.

_I know,_ it interrupted._ I know, but this is not the time, Aristotle. But how did you use Psychic on Silver? From what I know, he is immune to Psychic-type moves._

"I don't know!" He was gasping and trembling, eyes shrunken to pinpricks. "I was terrified, and something in my brain—clicked—and—well, I can't put it into words—"

He couldn't describe it, but Mew could. _It's an energy field, isn't it? An expanse where the only thing that exists is the energy of the animate and the inanimate, and you exerted enough mental force to manipulate its natural flow, shifting its position from one place to another._

"I—I don't know, I guess?" Mew had more questions, such as how a child with a resistance to all things psychic could display a show of mental ability, but this was no place or time to talk.

_Get behind me. _Aries quickly obeyed when Silver's Sneasel returned with claws flailing. Mew zoomed forward and made a tight circle around him before soaring up into the air. The wind left in its wake carried Sneasel's slight form high above and Mew took the advantage to strike at it with a surge of Thunder. He cried out in pain and fell back to ground level with a bodily _whump._

"Good job, Mew. Hurting another innocent?" Silver said with an awful sneer, returning his Sneasel.

_Innocent? Look what you've done! _Mew failed to check its temper as it gestured wildly to the scene of carnage surrounding them. Silver's expression did not change.

"This is what you deserve."

_What, we deserved slaughter? _Mew's laugh was bitter. _That is what you have done._

"What do you call what happened to Pallet Town!? I'm not from there, not even from the region, but the news made _national. _A mass murder like that hadn't taken place in decades, maybe even the last century, especially coming from Pokémon. Because you're a little higher on the totem pole of evolution, you think you can do whatever you please without consequence, like killing a _town _and _kidnapping _a bo— No no, I know I kidnapped him too, I'll admit, but human-on-human crime is far more tolerable."

_So, pray tell, _why _are _humans _allowed to thief and murder one another?_

"Because that is simply what _is,_" Silver said very slowly, as if talking to a small child. The notion infuriated Mew further. "People hate people and it's been like that since our inception. Pokémon, Legendary Pokémon specifically, are a higher power—we don't expect _you _to throw temper tantrums over who shit in whose shitting spot. Humankind is made up of idiots and followers; you higher powers are expected to keep us in line. You know what happens to a leader who abuses their power? They're overturned."

_This isn't as simple as your petty human squabbles, Silver—_

"Oh! So you know my name. You'll probably forget who he is in another…how long do you guys live again? Forget him in another century or so. But we humans won't forget what you guys did, same as you won't forget what I've done. That's really all I set out to accomplish." Mew fumed and raged on him as he turned away and raised a hand. "Learn you place, Mew. You're not even half as big as you think you are. Team Rocket can and will make more of you in a heartbeat."

_Make more of me…? _Mew's protests came to a feeble end as the words swirled in its mind. Make more of…like cloning? Like taking its DNA…such as a bit of blood…and using it to make other beings like Mew? Like—like Mew_two? _Mew's horror snapped it from its reverie in time to watch Silver create his own dimensional portal with some small squarish device he produced from his pocket. Even Palkia's powers were easily replicable. The Legendaries, were the Legendary Pokémon really so inconsequential…?

"They're gone," he said, his voice piercing through the noise of Mew's mind. It blinked, coming back to awareness and realizing his words were true. All the bodies of the Legendaries had vanished, leaving only rapidly-drying bodily fluids and two living souls. Silver, it presumed, was long gone.

_Their bodies were formed from energy, and now that their souls are extinguished the vessels have returned to energy,_ it said tonelessly.

"Are they dead forever?"

_No. They will return in time. Legendaries were brought on in the first place by humans' wishes: humans wished for rain, for instance, and Lugia was manifested; they wished for the cessation of natural disasters, and Suicune, Entei, and Raikou were manifested. When the world begins to fail—as Silver superciliously believes it won't—then the humans' prayers will revive them. _That is, if humankind still cared enough. No, it couldn't be buying into Silver's nonsense; the world was a vast place, there had to be at least _one _person who would pray for them. At least.

"But, Mew, is that really alright?"

_Whether it is or isn't, we don't have a choice in the matter anymore, do we? _Aries winced as if he had been struck.

"Mew, I…I don't know where to begin."

_We have nothing but time for you to figure it out. _His eyes turned comically wide.

"Y-You still want me around? It's because of me, you know, that Silver could come here."

_And it's because of me that he had _any _means to come here. Arceus warned me against taking a human—you recall, _it paused as Aries nodded slowly, pressing on when he opened his mouth in protest, _and although I don't regret our time together…it was right on that account. Being here caused you pain—physical, then mental when I decided to leave you on your earth to recover. I didn't realize how attached you would have gotten, I hadn't even guessed that you would grow to like me as much as I like you. I'm the fool here._

"Mew…" Aries raised his hand, hesitated, then reached out. Mew held his hand with both paws, marveling at the size difference.

_You are so small, so young… I'm expected to be the elder here, but I'm afraid to admit I've been nothing but a child for so many years: collecting every little thing that catches my eye, disregarding Arceus' words if they didn't suit my needs, doing whatever hedonistic thing I felt… And here are the consequences, _it finished bitterly, feeling very much alone in the cold and empty space. _Silver is loose, the Legendary Pokémon are gone for who knows how long, and humankind hates me._

Silence rang out between them, then Aries' small voice broke it: "I don't." Mew inclined its head slightly and Aries cleared his throat. "Hate you. I don't hate you." Mew supposed as much at this point; still, hearing the words brought a bit of warmth back to its body.

_Thank you, Aries._

"But what about the world in the meantime? Without the other Legendaries around?"

_I do not know. Meditation can only give so many answers. We can only focus on one thing at a time. _And there was a lot to pick from. Mew frowned at the thought. Mewtwo was looking to be a bigger and bigger threat, but so far it had proven harmless, even helping Mew at times—which didn't prove it to be an asset, only proved it wasn't an immediate danger. Team Rocket, too, was something to keep an eye on, especially as they had more of Mew's DNA to play around with. There was also Deoxys' return to fear, but above all else…

"Silver," Aries said.

_Indeed. We must find him as soon as possible and stop him by whatever means necessary. As he said, mass murder cannot go unpunished. But—and I'm sad to admit it—I won't be able to take him on alone. Not without my fellow Legendaries. Aries…you could learn to use psychic abilities. You certainly have the talent. _Mew squeezed his hand as his lips pursed. _I didn't give you a choice before, but now I shall: Will you remain with me?_

He didn't answer, he simply smiled.


End file.
